Central African Republic

Country Summary: My only visit to the Central African Republic was in 2025 (with Ian Thompson) and was focused on Dzanga National Park and its buffer zone. I saw +40 mammal species, the highlights being Bongo, Giant Forest Hog, African Forest Elephant, Derby’s Anomalure, Beecroft’s Anomalure, Cameroon Scaly-tail and Noack’s Round-leaf Bat. I also saw eight reptile species including Gonwouo’s Mabuya (Trachylepis gonwouoi), not previously reported in the CAR.

Paul Carter:   paulcarter@pacapix.com.
First posted: 5 July 2025.   
Additions to the species list (including unreported rodents) are expected.

Contents
a)  Sites and reports
b)  Mammal list
c)  Reptile list
d)  Logistics
e)  References and links

A.   Sites and Reports

The following site reports have been posted or are in progress:
Doli Lodge mammal records (2025) – posted here 7 July 2025.
Dzanga NP mammal records (2025) – posted here 6 July 2025.
Dzanga-Sangha reptile records (2025) – posted here 5 July 2025.

Ian Thompson posted his trip report on mammalwatching.com here; we often walked separately, and we both saw a few mammal species not seen by the other.

The Dzanga-Sangha Protected Area
The “Dzanga-Sangha Protected Area” in the southwest extreme of Central Africa Republic comprises various national parks and buffer zones. We visited two sections: (1) the “Dzanga National Park” also known as the “Dzanga Sector “of the “Dzanga-Ndoki National Park”, and in which Dzanga Bai and Bai Hokou are found. The Dzanga NP is located immediately north of the “Ndoki National Park”, and (2) the “Dzanga-Sangha Dense Forest Special Reserve”, a buffer zone around the various national parks. Bayanga village, Doli Lodge and Sangha Lodge are located in this buffer zone.

B.   Mammal List

The list below includes three taxa at generic level only (written in capitals). All mammals on the list were observed in the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Area.

  1. African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis). Dzanga Bai.
  2. Lesser Large-headed Shrew (Paracrocidura schoutedeni). Doli Lodge.
  3. Franquet’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (Epomops franqueti). Doli Lodge.
  4. Hammer-headed Fruit Bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus). Doli Lodge.
  5. Yellow-winged False Vampire (Lavia frons). Doli Lodge.
  6. Benito Round-leaf Bat (Hipposideros beatus). Lambada Waterfall trail; Doli Lodge.
  7. Noack’s Round-leaf Bat (Hipposideros ruber). Bai Hokou waterfall.
  8. Cyclops Round-leaf Bat (Doryrhina cyclops). Doli Lodge and Bai Hokou trail.
  9. NYCTERIS species (Slit-faced Bat species). iNat post.
  10. African Palm Civet (Nandinia binotata). Doli Lodge.
  11. Servaline Genet (Genetta servalina). Dzanga Bai.
  12. Marsh Mongoose (Atilax paludinosus). Dzanga Bai.
  13. Giant Forest Hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni). Dzanga Bai.
  14. Red River Hog (Potamochoerus porcus). Dzanga Bai.
  15. African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer). Dzanga Bai.
  16. Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus). Dzanga Bai and Bai Hokou area.
  17. Sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekii). Bai Hokou area.
  18. Peters’s Duiker (Cephalophorus callipygus). Bai Hokou area.
  19. Blue Duiker (Philantomba monticola). Bai Hokou area and Doli Lodge.
  20. Forest Giant Pouched Rat (Cricetomys emini). Doli Lodge.
  21. Western Rainforest Thicket Rat (Thamnomys poensis). PH. Tentative ID.
  22. HYLOMYSCUS species (Wood Mouse species). Doli Lodge area.
  23. PRAOMYS species (Soft-furred Mouse species). Doli Lodge area.
  24. Derby’s Anomalure (Anomalurus derbianus). Doli Lodge.
  25. Beecroft’s Anomalure (Anomalurus beecrofti). Doli Lodge.
  26. Cameroon Scaly-tail (Zenkerella insignis). Doli Lodge.
  27. Lorraine’s African Dormouse (Graphiurus lorraineus). Doli Lodge.
  28. Burton’s Rope Squirrel (Funisciurus isabella). Sangha Lodge road.
  29. Red-cheeked Rope Squirrel (Funisciurus leucogenys). Dzanga Bai.
  30. Red-legged Sun Squirrel (Heliosciurus rufobrachium). Doli Lodge.
  31. Green Bush Squirrel (Paraxerus poensis). Doli Lodge and Dzanga Bai road.
  32. African Giant Squirrel (Protoxerus stangeri). Doli Lodge.
  33. Central Potto (Perodicticus edwardsi). Doli Lodge.
  34. Southern Needle-clawed Galago (Euoticus elegantulus). Doli Lodge.
  35. Demidoff’s Dwarf Galago (Galagoides demidoff). Doli Lodge.
  36. Thomas’s Dwarf Galago (Galagoides thomasi). Doli Lodge.
  37. De Brazza’s Monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus). Doli Lodge.
  38. Crowned Monkey (Cercopithecus pogonias). Dzanga Bai trail.
  39. Putty-nosed Monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans). Bai Hokou area and Dzanga Bai road.
  40. Moustached Monkey (Cercopithecus cephus). Doli Lodge and Dzanga Bai.
  41. Agile Mangabey (Cercocebus agilis). Bai Hokou area.
  42. Grey-cheeked Mangabey (Lophocebus albigena). Dzanga Bai trail.
  43. Guereza Colobus (Colobus guereza). Bai Hokou area and Dzanga Bai trail.

Refer to site reports for images.
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C.  Reptile List

Species below marked as ** were seen by PC only.
Snakes:
1. Western Forest Centipede-Eater (Aparallactus modestus). Doli Lodge.**
2. Blue-tailed Nocturnal Tree Snake (Dipsadoboa duchesnii). Doli Lodge.**
Geckos:
3. Nkoelon Half-toed Gecko (Hemidactylus coalescens). Doli Lodge.
4. Tropical House Gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia). Doli Lodge.
Lizards:
5. Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus). Along the road to Bai Hokou.**
6. Rainbow Agama (Agama agama). Doli Lodge.
Skinks:
7. Speckle-lipped Mabuya (Trachylepis maculilabris). Doli Lodge.
8. Gonwouo’s Mabuya (Trachylepis gonwouoi). Dzanga Bai trail.**

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D.  Logistics

Safety and Security: the UG government site here provides a security summary; the area around Dzangha-Sangha is generally not affected by the issues elsewhere.
Visas and Immigration: I applied for a visa with British passport whilst I was in the USA (embassy information here). The visa cost $150 and was processed in a few days. WWF had provided an invitation letter. Proof of Yellow Fever immunization was required.
Health: Yellow fever vaccination is required to enter CAR. CAR is in a chloroquine-resistant malaria zone. I used Doxycycline for prophylaxis. Also be aware of African Tick Bite Fever (I believe I caught this when there).
Electrical: CAR uses Type C electrical plug (Europlug).

E.  References and Links

REFERENCES
– Borrow N and Demey R (2001). Birds of Western Africa. Helm Identification Guides.
– Kingdon J (2015). The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals (2nd Ed). Princeton University Press.
– Happold DCD (Ed) (2013). Mammals of Africa v3: Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
– Monadjem A, Taylor PJ, Denys C, Cotterill FPD (2015 Feb). Rodents of Sub-Saharan Africa: A Biogeographic and Taxonomic Synthesis. De Gruyter.

TRIP REPORTS
Reports viewed on mammalwatching.com included those by Jon Hall (2011), Daniel Hoops (2017), Charles Foley (2018), Ewan Davies (2018), Mathias D’haen (2019), and Pictus Safaris (2023).

LINKS
– Dzanga-Sangha Protected Area: https://dzanga-sangha.org/
– Doli Lodge: https://dzanga-sangha.org/visit-dzanga-sangha/doli-lodge/
– Sangha Lodge: https://www.sanghalodge.com/

CHECKLISTS:
Mammal and Bird Lists can be downloaded at the Sangha Lodge website here. There is also a report (2022) on mammalwatching.com with a link to a PDF list prepared by Rod Cassidy. The mammal lists when viewed in early 2025 needed some taxonomic revision. In March 2025 I prepared an updated mammal list for CAR and another for the Dzanga-Sangha area but have yet to post them.

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